Steam generator



June 1932. E. CONNELLY 1,852,367

STEAM GENERATOR Original Filed Nov. 17, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 7, 1932. E. CONNELLY STEAM GENERATOR Original Filed Nov. 17, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Patented June 7, 1932 LAVJRENCE E. GONNELLY, 0.? CLEVELAND, ()I-IIO, ABQIGNGR, BY BIESNE AESIGNMENTS, TO FOSTER WZ'IEELER QQRPOEATION, OF 'i-GBK, N. Y., A CORPQRATIGN OF NEW YORK srnAi r GENERATOR Application filed November 17, I924, Serial No. 750,326. Renewed January 6, 1930.

This invention relates to steam generators of the type known as water tube generators, and the object thereof is to provide means to cause an independent circulation of the feed water whereby the same will be raised in temperature before it enters the generator portion of the structure.

I have found by experience, especially a high overloads, that the wate lover in tl 19 rear or feed-Water econoiniszer bank of tube drops down several feet below their upper ends and the bot-tom of the steam or rear drum so that the upper part of these tubes becomes dry. This is caused, in part, by the steam bubbles in the water in the other banks of tubes and in the steam liberating drum which causes the Water to be lighter the sin than the water in the rear drun and economize or rear bank of tubes, thus allowing the wat r in said 20 rear bank to fall until a balance of gravity is reached.

My invention. is designed to prevent the water level in the rear drum and economizer bank of tubes from falling below the water level in the steam liberating drum, so that the flow of feed water from the rear drum into the circulating system of generator proper will be constant.

I have also found by experience that t iere is slightly higher pressure in the steam drum than in the rear drum, which may be as much as a pound difference thereby causing water to flow from the liberating drum into the rear drum, which my invention prevents.

My invention also reduces the temperature of the furnace gas leaving the boiler setting by causing the boiler tubes to absorb more heat by maintaining the economizer tubes full of water and thereby preventing overheating of the same. 7

The features of my invention are hereinafter fully described and pointed out and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Flgure 3 1s an enlarged central transverse Figure 1 is a side elevation of a steam gen-- dicatos the front or water drum,

connect :1. the steam liberating drum 0 and feed-wate ant. steam drum D below the water leuel in said drums as indicated by the broken lines 0 and (Z in Fig. l. H indicates a bani: of steam conveying tubes connecting the upper portions of the steam liberating drum C and feed-Water and steam drum D, through which steam flows from the liberating drum (1 into the feed-water drum D. D indicates the steam main connection through which. steam is taken from the drum D for use.

J indicates a bank of down flow Water tubes connecting the liberating drum C and mud-drum A. K indicates a series of downiiow Water tubes connecting the feed-Water drum D and mud-drum A.

The feed water and drum 1) is provided with a feed-water intake connection L from which a feed water connecting pipe L, see 2, extends over the open upper side of a reed-water receiving trough L within said drum D, said. trough extending longitudinally of said drum, a substantial portion of the length thereof. s. w ithin said drum D a vertical wall platelh is secured to the shell of said drum, and extends upwardly therefrom to the water level (Z therein, as shown in Fl 2, the trough L being on the right hand side of said plate L The plate L being permanently secured to the shell by the angle 1' and heads of the drum 1) by angles L prevents water from one side of said plate flowing to the opposite side thereof, except over the upper edge thereof.

ion

Downflow feed-water tubes M lead from the portion of the feed water drum D at the right hand side of the plate L to the muddrum A, and up-flow feed-water tubes N are connected with said mud-drum A and feed water drum D at the left hand side of said plate L Within the mud-drum A, a chamber P is permanently secured to the shell thereof, the ends of said chamber being closed, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so that feed-water therein will not flow from said chamber into the rest of the drum, said chamber P, enclosing the lower ends of the down-flow and up-fiow feed water tubes M and N causes the feedwater to flow downwardly from the right hand side of the vertical partition plate L in the drum D, into the chamber P in the mud drum A and thence upwardly into the feedwater and steam drum D at the left hand side of said partition plate L from where 1t 1s conducted into the boiler proper, by the ser es of down-flow tubes K, which connect sald feed-water and steam drum D and mud-drum A, from whence it continues in endless circulation through the drums and banks of tubes A, E, B, F, C and J, while steam liberated therefrom in the drum C, passes through the bank of tubes H into the drum D, from whlch it is taken through the connection D.

The chamber P, see Figs. 3 and 4, consists of an upper longitudinal plate P permanently secured to the shell of the mud-drum A to which a co-extensive side plate P is removably secured by means of bolts and nuts p. At the lower edge of said chamber an angle-iron is permanently secured to the shell of the drum A, to which the lower plate P is secured by means of bolts and nuts 39. The upper edge of the plate p is secured to the lower edge of the plate P by means of bolts and nuts 17 while the ends of said chamber are closed by end plates, P which are secured in place by means of bolts and nuts p Within the chamber P is placed a longitudinal pipe Q, which is provided with a series of openings 9 through the wall there of, and said pipe is intermediately connected with a blow-off pipe R which extends through the lower plate P of the chamber R of the drum A. This blow-off apparatus Q and R is secured to the lower plate P of the chamber P, so that, when desired the plates P and P can be removed by removing the bolts and nuts, 17, p, p and 17 said blow-off apparatus will be removed with the lower plate P The several walls of the chamber P are so secured together, and to the shell of the mud-drum A as to effectually prevent any circulation of water between the interiors of said chamber P and mud-drum A, said chamber only serving as a header for the lower ends of the down-flow feed-water tubes M and up-fiow feed-water tubes N.

In Fig. 1, I show a preferred arrangement of baffle-walls, S, T, U and V, the line W indicating the rear wall of the boiler setting, the curved arrows indicating the course of the furnace gas, which leaves the setting through the space between the baffle-wall V and the rear wall W.

In this figure it will be noted that the upflow feed-water tubes N are directly exposed to the hot down-flow furnace gas during the final pass thereof, while the down-flow feedwater tubes M are only indirectly exposed to the furnace gas, being shielded therefrom by the tubes N.

In operation the feed-water is introduced by the supply pipe L into the trough L which distributes the same evenly throughout the length of the drum D at the right-hand side of the partition plate L from which it flows downwardly through the tubes M into the chamber P, absorbing the indirect heat of the fire gas, the difference between the temperature of the combustion gases and the down-flowing feed-water in the tubes M being such that a transference of heat to the water will be effective. Then the upflowing, partially heated water from the chamber P flows through the tubes N, which are directly exposed to the down flowing fire gas, the percentage of difference in temperature between the upflowing water and the fire gas will be sufficient to continue the transference of heat thereto, so that the the feed water when it re-enters the drum D at the left hand side of the partition plate L is ready to commence boiling.

From the steam and feed-water drum D down-flow feed-water tubes K lead from the left-hand side of the partition plate L to the mud-drum A, through which heated feedwater flows into the boiler proper.

The down and up flow of feed-water in the economizer tubes M and N effectually prevents the upper portions of said tubes going dry by reason of the difference in the gravity of the relatively cool-feed-water therein, and the boiling water in the boiler tubes E, F and J and the drums B and C, so that the water level in said drums will be substantially the same, except for the surface agita-tion of the water in the liberating drum C, due the liberation of steam therefrom, so that any flow of water through tubes G backwardly from the drum C to the drum D is eliminated. With the construction herebefore described, it is entirely optional with the boiler maker whether the tubes G are used, as they form no part of this invention,

Having thus fully shown and described suitable apparatus for embodying my invention and the operation of the same so that others can utilize the same, what I claim as new and desire to secure by letters patent is:

1. In a steam generator, a mud-drum, a water drum above and in front of said muddrum, a bank of up-fiow water tubes connecting said mud-drum and water-drum, a steam liberating drum above and to the rear of said water drum, up-fiow water tubes connecting said water drum and steam liberating drum, a bank of down-flow water tubes connecting said steam liberating drum and mud-drum, a steam and feed water receiving drum at the rear of said steam liberating drum, a bank of steam conveying tubes connecting the upper portions of said steam liberating drum and feed-water receiving drum, down-flow and up-fiow feed-water tubes connecting said feed-water drum and mud-drum, a watertight chamber secured to the shell of and within said mud-drum enclosing the lower ends of said down-flow and up-fiow feedwater tubes, a vertical water-tight division plate secured to the lower portion of the shell 0t said teed-water drum between said clownfiow and up-fiow feed-water tubes, means to supply feed-water to the down-flow side to said plate, and a series of downfiow tubes connecting said feed-water drum adjacent to said up-fiow feed-water tubes and said mud-drum outside of said chamber.

2. In a steam generator, a mud-drum, a feed-water receiving drum, a steam liberating drum, down-flow water tubes connecting said mud-drum and steam liberating drum, a series of down-flow feed-water tubes connecting said feed-water drum and said muddrum, up-flow feed-water tubes connecting said mud-drum and feed-water drum, a water-tight chamber within said mud-drum enclosing the lower ends of said down and up flow feed-water tubes, a fire baffle wall behind the down flow water-tubes connecting the steam liberating and mud-drums, and a fire bafiie wall extending from the feed-water drum downwardly behind the down-flow feed-water tubes, whereby the furnace gas is caused to flow downwardly among said down and up-fiow feed-water tubes.

3. A boiler comprising in combination a separating and a water drum interconnected by steam and water conduits, the water conduits being connected to the bottom portions of the drums and the steam conduits being connected to the top portions of the drums, and said water drum having a feed water inlet and a steam outlet, a circulating drum entirely disposed below the normal water level of the boiler and connected to said separating drum by a bank of water circulating conduits, and a downwardly located mud drum inter-connected with each of the said drums by means of a single bank of water circulating conduits, the bank of conduits from the mud to water drum having less sectional area than each of the other banks, said other banks having substantially equal areas.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

LA'WRENGE E. CONNELLY. 

